1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an electrical connector. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a connector for use with a vehicle cigarette lighter socket or similar vehicle power outlet.
2. Reference to Related Art
In recent years, the fast pace of today""s modern economy has resulted in the movement of business outside of the boundaries of the traditional office space and into the automobile. The transition from office to automobile was aided in large part by the rapid advancement of portable electronic devices. These portable devices, which include cellular telephones, laptop and palm top computers, personal digital assistants and portable fax machines, assist the modern businessperson in communicating with clients or the main office. Unfortunately, the power hungry nature of these portable devices requires that they either be provided with a regular supply of batteries or connected to an external power source.
Electrical connectors that are adapted to engage the cigarette lighter socket of a vehicle are known in the art and have been utilized in providing electrical power to a wide range of electrical devices. However, the obvious drawback of using these traditional connectors is that the vast majority of automobiles are only equipped with a single cigarette lighter socket. Therefore, oftentimes it is only possible to power (or recharge) one device at a time.
The prior art suggests several systems for attempting to overcome this problem of powering only one device at a time. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,899 discloses the use of a duplex outlet device that plugs into a vehicle cigarette lighter socket. The outlet device includes a pair of sockets that permit the user to plug in the vehicle cigarette lighter and one other auxiliary piece of equipment. A similar device is also shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,494.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,352 discloses an electrical power takeoff unit that is also adapted to be plugged into the vehicle cigarette lighter socket. This unit includes a socket into which the cigarette lighter may be inserted as well as a power cord. The power cord is capable of providing electrical power to accessories (such as a clock) that are placed in the vehicle.
Typically, the large and perhaps bulky nature of these prior art systems requires that newer systems be more flexible. In this regard, Japanese Patent Abstract 11-214099A discloses a plug having a terminal for a cellular telephone. The terminal is mounted on the end of the plug and is movable about a folding part positioned on the end of the plug. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,919 discloses a mobile phone fixing assembly that includes a cigarette lighter plug for inserting into the lighter socket of a car. The assembly includes an elongated flexible middle section.
However, what is clearly absent from the prior art is a compact positionable connector that is capable of providing power to multiple electronic devices.
The present invention is directed to a connector for use with a vehicle cigarette lighter socket. Preferably, the connector includes a barrel, a body that is pivotally secured to an end of the barrel and includes a female connector, and a cable that is secured at one end to the body and an adapter for an electrical device.
The barrel of the connector preferably has a generally tubular shape that is insertable into a standard vehicle cigarette lighter socket (or similar type of electrical receptacle). The barrel includes an end terminal and a pair of longitudinally extending side terminals that make electrical contact the cigarette lighter socket upon insertion of the barrel into the socket. A pivot end of the barrel is preferably rounded and includes at least two indentations.
A body is preferably pivotally mounted to the pivot end of the barrel. The body includes a front portion that includes a recess and a channel. A detent pin is positioned in a back wall of the channel and engages the indentations of the pivot end of the barrel. The body is selectively movable between the least two indentations of the pivot end of the barrel and is fixable by the user in a predetermined orientation with respect to said barrel.
The body of the connector also preferably includes an additional female connector (e.g., an additional electrical socket) into which a user may plug in another connector. A cable is preferably secured at one end to the body. An adapter for an electrical device is preferably positioned on the opposite end of the cable.